From A to B.
Thoughts on my relationship to the bicycle : Michael Enos.
Cycling was something that was never really prominent in my life. Growing up I had a bike which only got used for the occasional family bike ride, or if I needed a way to get to the skatepark. For the most part I walked everywhere, or got a ride from an older friend until I was old enough to drive. Walking was limiting due to the amount of time it took to get somewhere, and by default I was limited to what I could experience. I didn’t tend to go too far by foot, and there wasn’t great public transit. Distance became a roadblock in the way I viewed traveling from point A to B. Once the car became my means of transportation, distance became irrelevant and most destinations were easily obtainable and travel was only viewed as a hurdle to get over to get to where I wanted to be.
I moved with my car to San Francisco 6 years ago and it continued to be my primary transportation. I’d occasionally take a MUNI bus, but it provided a similar solution to the car—it got me from A to B without engaging with the distance.
Commuting between my residence in the Outer Sunset district and downtown San Francisco, cyclists would race past me while I was stuck in traffic idling my car, and burning cash out my exhaust pipe. I did the math and realized that cycling would save me economically and keep me from a having mental breakdown in the car.
After my first ride to work I realized I never knew how green Golden Gate Park was, how many trails were
there
, the community of cyclists that existed, how many sounds and smells there were, how vibrant some of the neighborhoods were, and how big I could smile when I slammed my pedals down a big hill.
Biking to work everyday became my routine and started to shape other aspects of my life. My health and overall fitness quickly improve, allowing me to surf longer, get better sleep, stay sharp, and feel mentally stimulated early before work.
I paid attention to the significant amount of money I was not spending on gas and how by default I was contributing less carbon monoxide to the air on a regular basis.
Most importantly, the perspective I had on distance had completely changed. I started to see distance as an opportunity instead of an obstacle. I could go further and faster in the city. I was able to see more, hear more, and experience more every single time I needed to commute. I had more internal dialogue with myself, slowing changing how I thought on a daily basis. What was once a hurdle, had quickly become one of the most treasured parts of my life. I started to look at distances as adventures, a new way to learn about communities, and how I interact with them. This all allowed me to feel like a part of the city I actually live in, connected to it thorugh the veins of its streets.
